Your Majesty, I’m Not that Man - Chapter 12. The Tyrant’s Fiancée (7)

Their ragged breaths slowly softened, giving way to a quiet sigh. Levinia exhaled languidly, her body relaxed beneath Cassion’s warm touch. She felt his lips press gently against her skin, lingering on her chest, which still quivered with soft aftershocks.

“Mmm…” she hummed softly.

Her body was already covered in traces of his affection, like petals scattered across her skin. Yet, it seemed Cassion never tired of leaving his mark. His lips continued their slow exploration, savoring every inch of her as if it were the first time.

Levinia felt her slit twitching and became embarrassed. She wanted to close her legs, but she couldn’t find the strength. Cassion kissed Levinia’s lower belly and stole a lustful glance at it.

The sight of it, covered in cum and dripping with the lustful liquid, made his cock throb.

‘Should I take her again?’

His greedy eyes lingered, but before he could act, Levinia shook her head weakly, her breath trembling.

“N-No more… Please… no more…”

At the look of dismay on her face, Cassion softened his expression. He reached out and ran a hand lasciviously over the twitching entrance, causing Levinia to wince against his inner thigh.

“Haa… Mm… Nngh…”

“You felt it so deeply… yet now you’re saying no?”

Levinia, her cheeks flushed a deep red, pleaded softly.

“P-Please… let me rest… Not right away…”

Cassion hesitated for a moment but reminded himself that this wasn’t the only chance. There was plenty of time left in the day. They would indulge after lunch, enjoy each other again at night, and tomorrow… he planned to melt her completely once more. Starting off too aggressively wouldn’t do.

‘Damn it.’

Even knowing this, it was hard to hold back. He wanted to skip meals entirely just to keep her in his arms. But delicate Levinia looked as though she might wear out too quickly if he continued without pause.

“Fine. After we eat, then. Does that work for you?”

Levinia eagerly nodded. A perfect opportunity! She planned to stall him later, claiming she was sleepy and tired after eating, hoping it might actually work.

‘It’s a slim chance, but… who knows? He did say he wanted to earn points with me…’

‘Oh… my poor waist.’

As expected of a character from a world like this, his stamina seemed practically limitless.

Once Levinia relaxed, Cassion scooped her up in his arms. Her eyes widened in surprise, but before she could protest, he kissed her gently on the temple and carried her toward the bathroom.

“We need to wash up before eating, don’t we? We can’t have a meal like this,” he said, flashing a playful smile that sparkled mischievously.

Levinia quickly realized his real intention—using the bath as another excuse to continue their mischief. She knew full well what he had in mind but felt powerless to stop it.

＊ ＊ ＊

Even though only two days had passed, there was already a new sense of closeness between them. Cassion seemed determined to stay by Levinia’s side at all times, as if it were completely natural for him to wait on her. Whether it was during meals, baths, or even helping her dress… sometimes he even tried to assist with her undergarments.

“Your Majesty… Please don’t do that,” Levinia said, gently pushing him away.

She found it too much when Cassion tried to help her with something as personal as putting on her underwear. When she refused, he would reluctantly step back, his face tinged with disappointment. But not without stealing a lingering, passionate kiss before he left.

Unlike before, Levinia had become a little more honest in her reactions, no longer trying to hide her flustered responses. Cassion took this as a sign that their relationship had taken another step forward and felt content with the progress.

After sending Cassion off to his council meeting, Levinia sank into the sofa. The maids naturally came over and prepared her tea, as they always did.

‘Somehow… I’m getting used to life here.’

The longer she stayed in the palace, the more familiar her daily routine with Cassion became—seeing him off to his meeting, spending her free time as she pleased, and then welcoming him back at the end of the day.

‘It feels strange…’

It must have been because she had spent those two days with him. When she first heard that Cassion had taken time off, she thought it would be a bit bothersome. But once it happened, she found herself enjoying the time they spent together—despite the occasional embarrassment.

‘It almost feels like I was on a real vacation.’

Now, after sending Cassion off, it felt like returning to normal, as if the weekend had ended and Monday had arrived.

‘Will my life continue like this? Living with Cassion by my side?’

It felt as if she were slowly getting swept away by his sincerity and kindness. In the past, that realization would have triggered a sense of crisis, but now it only made her heart flutter.

If the dark future she had once feared no longer lay ahead, perhaps living like this wouldn’t be so bad.

“Duchess.”

The voice of one of the maids broke her reverie, and Levinia returned her attention to the documents from the Wendell estate. Cassion had sent her a group of competent aides, but since Levinia was still the head of the estate, the final decisions rested with her.

She hadn’t considered appointing a representative, so she personally reviewed the documents they had processed. It was an unusual feeling.

‘It feels like I’ve been promoted from acting president to actual president.’

The reduced workload was a relief, though part of her found it oddly bittersweet. Levinia had once handled paperwork for two or three people at once. Compared to that, this was a breeze. She quickly reviewed the documents, signed several, and attached notes to the ones that needed revision.

The last document concerned Ipherian. It stated that the construction work on the area where he would be staying had been completed.

‘…I wonder how Sir Ipherian is doing.’

She realized it had been weeks since she’d last sent him any word, as her time had been consumed by preparations for the engagement.

Levinia called for a piece of stationery and wrote a short letter asking for his exact arrival date. Previously, they had only mentioned mid-next month, but now it seemed better to offer specific dates and let him choose which would be most convenient.

After making sure the letter didn’t sound too cold or formal, she sealed it in an envelope and handed it to a maid. “Please deliver this to Sir Ipherian,” she said. The maid bowed politely and took the letter with care.

***

Albert left the club with a conflicted expression. For days, he had been unable to achieve what he intended.

He wasn’t sure about the commoners, but considering how tyrannical the Emperor had been toward the nobility, Albert thought there would surely be a faction opposing him. His initial goal was to join such a group and gain strength.

However, contrary to his expectations, no one stood out as openly discontent with the Emperor—even if they did harbor resentment. At most, they would complain to a friend or two.

The political gatherings of nobles, who had persistently urged Maxim to participate, were the same. They did nothing more than grumble amongst themselves. No one had any real intention of taking action. Say what you will, but the Emperor was far more intelligent and politically adept than his predecessor and the one before that.

Moreover, those the Emperor needed to eliminate were dealt with so thoroughly that even tracking down their remnants was difficult.

‘Do I have to give up like this?’

Albert hadn’t been able to properly gauge just how powerful Cassion was. All he had learned from their first encounter was that Cassion was someone far beyond his own capabilities.

Unfortunately, Albert simply wasn’t capable of measuring Cassion’s strength. That’s how vast the gap between them was.

‘He’s someone immune to poison or ambush. Maybe magic could work, but…’

The Emperor even held influence over the Mage Tower. In a situation where even the tower’s mages trembled in fear of the Emperor’s shadow, Albert doubted magic would be of any use at all.

There were no records of the Emperor having ever fought a mage, but judging from the Mage Tower’s attitude, maybe even magic wouldn’t work against him.

‘No! The Emperor is still human! He’ll slip up one day…’

Suddenly, Levinia came to mind—but Albert couldn’t bear to involve her in something that might end in failure. It was far too dangerous.

However… aside from using Levinia, he saw no other way. Cassion Anais was simply too powerful. His only known weakness was the Duchess he doted on.

Albert felt a chill settle in his chest at the conclusion he had drawn.

Because Cassion’s enemies were probably thinking the same thing.

As for Albert himself, he loved Levinia, so he would never consider such a method—but Cassion’s enemies would surely see Levinia as his greatest weakness.

Because she was the only way to reach Cassion.

She might be resting safely under his great wings now, but Albert felt a deep despair thinking about all the enemies Cassion had who might come after Levinia.

‘Shouldn’t I be by her side, protecting her instead of wasting time like this?’

If he continued to carefully search for Cassion’s enemies like this, eventually he would find a lead. But if Levinia was put in danger by then, it would all be meaningless. Furthermore, Albert’s own background was a link to Levinia—there could be people who tried to use him to get to her.

Lost in thought, Albert returned to his lodgings. He had left the Wendell Duke’s estate and was now staying at the knights’ quarters of Marquess Shitz.

Though his identity hadn’t been exposed, it felt shameless to remain at the Wendell estate. Thankfully, Marquess Shitz had offered him a place to stay.

‘Do I need to return to the Emperor’s side starting tomorrow…? My heart is troubled.’

He knew the Emperor had spent the past two days with Levinia. Albert feared those had been horrifying days for her. If he could, he would kill Cassion.

Why—why did it have to be Levinia?! She was the one person he had truly wanted to protect. Whether when he was at the Wendell estate or now, Albert hadn’t been able to do a single thing to help her.

Albert felt resentful and sorrowful about it all.
Even though he was one of only about fifty Swordmasters in the entire empire, he still felt weak.

＊ ＊ ＊

“…It would be best if you entered during the third week. If you, Lord Ipherian, have other preferences, we will of course accommodate them—so please let us know a date that suits you…”

Though it was merely a formal letter, Ipherian couldn’t help but feel a little giddy.
The truth was, ever since Levinia became engaged to Cassion, Ipherian had been feeling down.

He could handle the bizarre situation of the woman he loved ending up with her former partner, but what stung was not even getting to dance with Levinia once before she was handed over to Cassion.

‘With the two of them… honestly, I think even the three of us together wouldn’t be so bad.’

Levinia would freak out and reject him, and Cassion would likely fly into a rage and try to kill him on the spot—but that was how Ipherian genuinely felt.

‘Cassion seemed sincere. And Levinia… the way she looked at him had changed a lot too…’

She seemed different now from when she had headed toward Hyacinth Palace with a pale face. There was even a faint trace of excitement when she looked at Cassion.

Considering that Cassion was earnestly courting her, perhaps it was only natural.
Ipherian, for his part, had once felt flutters for Cassion, even though Cassion had shown him absolutely no interest.

“Sigh… really, I think I’d be fine even if it were the three of us.”

Or maybe… being either Levinia or Cassion’s lover would be just as fine. Better yet, if he could be the lover of both, that would be ideal.

Thinking leisurely, Ipherian pulled out some stationery and began composing his reply. He understood why Levinia’s letter had been filled with nothing but formal language. She was likely worried Cassion might read it.

And she was only partially wrong. If Levinia had been just a typical concubine without the Emperor’s favor, someone might indeed have read her letter. But now, things were different. Anyone who dared open Levinia’s letter without permission would likely lose their head.

‘Even Cassion himself probably wouldn’t do such a thing. He looked pretty desperate.’

Just from the way Cassion looked at Levinia, it was obvious. Cassion was serious. He was throwing everything he had into loving her with all his might.

And… Levinia wasn’t foolish. She would eventually catch on.

Cassion wasn’t a man one could easily reject. Unless Levinia already had someone she loved, she would eventually accept him. He was just that compelling.

“Siiigh… yeah. It really would be nice if I could just become their lover.”

Ipherian let out a small chuckle as he pressed a kiss to Levinia’s letter.
It didn’t smell of perfume—only ink—but even that was enough for him.
He wanted Levinia. More than ever before.